One way or another, real life characters always seem to find their way into my historical romances. And no matter how small their role, just by the fact that they’re interacting with my fictional hero or heroine means that in a manner, no matter how small, I’m rewriting history. Literary licence or literary nightmare? Granted, sometimes it’s a slippery slope, and most times I wonder why I do this to myself. But there are just so many wonderful characters in medieval Scotland that I simply cannot resist.
Take Johnnie Armstrong, a villainous border lad with friends in high places. A wild scoundrel who invented black rent (the forerunner to modern day blackmail) and ruled the Scottish border roost until King James had him and his merry men hung.
Take Mary, Queen of Scots, a beautiful queen who simply fell in love with the wrong guy. Her life reads like ten different romance plots thrown into one…heartbreak, a failed marriage, house arrest, kidnapping, pride, prejudice, murder and mayhem, forced marriage, betrayal, and finally, beheaded by order of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth.
And then take my hero, Arran Kerr, aka The Devil of Jedburgh and totally fictional (I promise). He is a Kerr, though, a clan famous for their left-handed sword fighting. I couldn’t resist playing around with the family trait a little and my heroine, Breghan, has her own theory on that…
“’Tis said you roam the bogs at night to prey upon the souls of restless children,” Breghan said daringly.
“Cross your heart, lass,” he returned. “The priests would have that only God and the devil may lay claim to a soul.”
She could see by the light in his eyes that he was more amused than angry and gave him back the source of that particular rumour. “The Kerrs fight left-handed because the devil rides heavy on their right shoulder.”
The gleam slowly faded from his eyes until he was looking at her with dark, mesmerising intensity. He took her hand in his and placed it on his right shoulder. “Tell me,” he said softly, “what does the devil feel like?”
Hounded by rumours since birth, most of them true, Arran Kerr is a devilish Scotsman with honour bred into his blood and a sense of humour to boot. How could I not have him fighting such an utter black-guard as Johnnie Armstrong and saving such a romantic queen? I had to change dates and faces and deaths to get this lot into the same story, but that’s the fun of being a fictional writer—being allowed to take liberties with small discrepancies.
But you tell me, do you enjoy recognising well-known characters in historical stories or do you prefer the entire cast to be fictional? I love hearing all points of views, so please leave a comment and I’ll be giving away an ebook copy of The Devil of Jedburgh to a commenter.
Website: www.clairerobyns.com
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Raised on rumours of The Devil of Jedburgh, Breghan McAllen doesn’t want an arranged marriage to the beast. The arrogant border laird is not the romantic, sophisticated husband Breghan dreams of—despite the heat he stirs within her.
In need of an heir, Arran has finally agreed to take a wife, but when he sees Breghan’s fragile beauty, he’s furious. He will not risk the life of another maiden by getting her with child. Lust prompts him to offer a compromise: necessary precautions, and handfasting for a year and a day, after which Breghan will be free. For a chance to control her own future, Breghan makes a deal with the Devil.
Passion quickly turns to love, but Arran still has no intention of keeping the lass, or making her a mother. He loves her too much to lose her. But when a treasonous plot threatens queen and country, Breghan has to prove only she is woman enough to stand by his side.
*Giveaway sponsored by the author
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I like the blurb of your book, very interesting. About mixing true historic people and facts into your book, well, if is not blatant impossible, I don’t mind very much. Most probably won’t even notice. If you really make things hard to believe (by posting dates and everything) and I keep stumbling on it, then I won’t like the book. You throw me out of the story to start thinking, he? That can’t be true/possible?
And please, please don’t use really modern words or even slang in your historical books.
I would love to read this book. It sounds like an excellent story. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
I think I prefer my characters to be totally fictional. If I have a hint of a real person I tend to think only of that person in the character. If all characters are totally fictional doesn’t it give you the author, more freedom to write anything you want for him/her? I would think so but then that is my opinion.
Your story sounds wonderful. Thanks for the give away.
I enjoy reading about real people embelished in books AND about fictional people… I love historicals too…
Your story sounds very good… Thanks for the giveaway!
I cannot wait to read this book! Thank you for offering it, and hope I win!
I love it when you can hear the accent through someone’s writing…cannot wait!!
I enjoy reading both… whether the characters are well-known or completely fictional really doesn’t make much difference to me.
The story sounds wonderful! I would love to read it!!!
I enjoy a liitle bit of historical facts and figures in stories, but I focus on the main characters journey… so I lean either way… your book sounds great, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for having me over here, Fatin
Loving the conversations so far.
aurian, my pet peeve is modern language in historicals (and don’t even get me started on slang). I can take this in steampunk, because that’s alternative history anyway, but the language is so important in setting time and place
Eileen, my main characters are always entirely fictional. I tend to choose *real* clans for my Scottish historicals, but the people in them aren’t real. My non-fictional characters have very small side-lined roles which (I hope) adds to the flavor of the time/place setting, but even then you’re absolutely right, it certainly does restrict where I can take the story – but I do love using a little literary licence and getting creative within boundaries and I make sure I never clash with outright fact.
thanks for all the comments, everyone, it’s great to read everyone’s views
As with anything literary, it’s not what you have but what you do with it. I’ve read some stories where the insertion of a real life personality felt ham-fisted and contrived. (In a novel I just finished, one of the characters, a vampire, was constantly namedropping. Apparently, he’d met every historical figure in Western civilization! It got old … real fast.)
But done well, it adds context to the story and grounds it in reality.
I like a “real” person in my historical books but only as a minor character. Probably because we know how the well-known person ends up, like maybe even getting beheaded.
I especially like to discover these real people then and thinking then I know this one.
I really enjoy seeing historical figures sprinkled into the story. I think it makes for a more interesting story. I really enjoyed the blurb, Claire.
I like some fact with my fiction. There are so many clans, within clans in Scotland, that you could for sure find a real highland lord somewhere along the way where a writer could take a little embelishment…
I like this story and I am putting on my tbr list..
I don’t mind if well-known characters show up in stories.
This sounds wonderful. I love reading about Scotland! It’s my “take me away” story place.!
Though I don’t mind if all the characters are fictional I actually enjoy when a well-known character is used. Would love to read The Devil of Jedburgh. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Pam
vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com
I like having actual names pop up in fiction. In fact, one of the things that drew me to your column was that I have been through Jedburgh, Scotland. I look forward to reading your book.
Wow, this sounds great!! I would love to get my hands on this. I usually like all the characters to be fictional, but I have read a few that included real people and events and I really enjoyed it
This book sounds like a good read. Would love to be entered for the giveaway. As for whether I prefer to have recognizable historical characters in stories, I don’t think I really have a preference for either or.
Even if you use a real historical person I am willing to suspend disbelief. Much of what we think we know about historical figures has an element of fiction, given that most history was oral for hundreds of years and details were changed or adjusted to suit the time or misremembered on the 100th telling.
You’ve got to love the historical romances especially when there’s a man in a kilt and speaking with that beautiful brogue.
lareynolds0316@gmail.com
I like the combination of the two. It’s exciting when an actual historical figure appears in a fiction book I’m reading; especially, if I have some backgroung knowledge on the figure.
I enjoy historical romance with or without familiar historical figures.